A post is being shared on social media with a claim that the archaeologists have found a 6000-year-old Shiva Linga in a cave named Sudwara in South Africa. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Archaeologists have found a 6000-year-old Shiva Linga in Sudwara Cave (South Africa).
Fact: No such Shiva Linga was discovered by archaeologists in the Sudwala Caves located in South Africa. The Sudwala Caves officials have clarified to FACTLY there is no truth in the post. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for Sudwara cave on the internet, it was found that there are ‘Sudwala’ Caves, not ‘Sudwara’, in South Africa. Also, the left picture in the post is related to the Sudwala Caves. A similar image of the Sudwala Caves can be also found on the ‘Getty Images’ website.
There are no credible reports on the internet regarding the discovery of a 6000-year-old Shiva Linga by archaeologists in the Sudwala Caves. Also, the exact details of the statue in the posted photo were not found. So, when FACTLY has contacted the authorities of Sudwala caves, they have clarified that there has been no such discovery of the Shiva statue in the caves and the post is false.
A rock formation in the Nelspruit Nature Reserve (around 35-40 kms from the Sudwala Caves) is considered to be a Shiva Lingam which was believed to be worshipped by the Indian travellers who travelled to Africa around 1800 years ago. More information regarding it can be found here. But it is not the 6000-year-old Shiva Linga mentioned in the post.
To sum it up, a 6000-year-old Shiva Linga was not discovered by archaeologists in the Sudwala Caves (South Africa).
